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Colorado Secretary
of State Jena Griswold
www.coloradosos.gov | www.sos.state.co.us

Colorado Secretary of State logo - cube with a C in it

Colorado Secretary
of State Jena Griswold
www.coloradosos.gov

Picture of Secretary of State Jena Griswold

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Colorado Secretary of State logo - cube with a C in it

Colorado
Secretary of State
Jena Griswold

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Uniform Commercial Code FAQs

Termination

Q1. What is a termination?

A1. A termination is a notice that a secured party or other lien holder released its claim against a debtor’s assets.

For example, if a bank loans money to a business, part of the agreement might include some of the business's property being used as collateral. The bank files a lien to show that it has an interest in that property. When the loan is repaid, the bank files a termination to show the bank no longer holds an interest in that property.

Q2. Can I file a termination?

A2. In most cases, a secured party named on the record is responsible for filing a termination. § 4-9.5-107(a) states that a secured party shall file a termination within thirty days of the debtor no longer having any obligations.

Generally, the IRS will terminate or release an IRS lien. In some cases, the IRS will prepare a release or withdrawal form and give it to the taxpayer to file.

In some circumstances, a debtor can terminate a UCC Financing Statement. If the debtor's obligation has been fulfilled and the secured party fails to file a termination, the debtor may choose to file a termination. For more information, see sections 4-9-513 and 4-9-509, C.R.S.

Q3. How do I file a termination?

A3. To file a termination:

  • Go to the UCC filing system.
  • Click on "Amend an existing record"
  • Enter the original document number of the record that will be terminated.
  • Choose the filing office where the original document was filed in the drop-down menu.
  • Click on "Search."
  • Review the record information. If this is the correct document, click on "Confirm."
  • Select the “Termination” checkbox and then select Continue
  • Continue through each tab and submit payment; you will be taken to a confirmation page once the filing is complete

For help with filing, see the form instructions.

Q4. What happens to a terminated record?

A4. For UCC and EFS, a termination creates a public record that a loan was repaid, a lien was removed, or some other obligation was met. The records will remain in our system until two years after they lapse.

For an EFS, the record will also be excluded from the EFS Master List.

For the following types of liens, a termination changes the lapse date to the date that the termination was filed. The record will be removed from the system two years after the termination.

  • Agistor's,
  • Child support,
  • Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA),
  • Harvester's,
  • Hospital,
  • Restitution,
  • Other Colorado statutory liens.

Q5. Why is my UCC lien still showing on your website?

A5. By statute, we're required to keep a record for one year past its lapse date. However, we display records for two years past the lapse date to afford financial institutions the opportunity to retrieve that information for their records.